Sick room jacket



J. M. PURCELL SICK ROOM JACKET Filed Oct. 10, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR JOSEPH M PURCELL By ATTO/QNEVS.

Oct. 1-0, 1933.

J. M. PURCELL SICK ROOM JACKET Filed Oct. 10, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Joseph! )1. Formal.

ATTORN EYS Patented Oct. 10, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SICK ROOM JACKET Application October 10, 1932. Serial No. 637,085

1 Claim. (01. 292) The present invention relates to a sick room jacket especially adapted to be used in treating patients suffering from lung ailments.

According to the most learned men in the med- 5 ical profession, the most facile method of treating lung ailments such as pneumonia, pleurisy, bronchitis, colds and the like is to properly lubricate the chest of the sufferer at regulated intervals with a suitable medicament such as a stimulant, counter-irritant or. anti-spasmodic agent while retaining the body heat of the patient. Generally this treatment is supplemented by the use of stimulants which are taken internally. It is of the utmost importance to ensure against a chilling of the patients body especially while the body is copiously perspiring since such a reduction in the temperature of the body greatly augments the gravity of the illness.

It is apparent that the body of the patient can only be maintained at a uniform temperature if some device such as a jacket be provided to absorb or take up the excretions of the body and at the same time to insulate the body against loss of heat not only after the medicaments have been applied but also when applying the same. Unless some such insulating and absorption means are resorted to, nothing can be gained by the use of the medicaments generally applied for such purposes.

It is likewise patent that a jacket of the kind above referred to cannot be of any practical importance unless it can be very cheaply made. Due to the necessity of construction such articles of materials that absorb the body excretions, said articles become hopelessly soiled after a short period of use and consequently must be discarded. If said jackets be constructed either of expensive materials or by an expensive process, only a few could afford to purchase them in times of need. Physicians would be rather loathe to prescribe their use for the general run of patients and consequently the very purpose of the jackets would thereby be defeated.

Jackets of the kind mentioned must, as has been stated, possess the above attributes in order to be at all commercially practical. Aside from these properties, however, such devices to satisfactorily perform the functions intended should have other features of construction serving among other things to provide comfort to the user of these devices. Thus such a jacket should be constructed in such a way that the movements of the patient will not disarrange the jacket or place it in any position in which it will either permit exposure of the chest or cause discomfort to the user. One can readily appreciate from experience the restlessness of persons confined to bed. This restlessness manifests itself by continuous attempts on the part of the person to move about to more comfortable positions. Such movements obviously tend to disarrange any coverings on the patient and would, if preventative means were not provided, cause a removal of any chest covering jacket.

The material of which such devices are made is also an item of prime importance. Such material should be soft in order not to cause a dis-. agreeable contact with the person of the wearer. Material should also be included in the construction of the jackets which is at least a fairly good heat insulator and which has the property of absorbing fluids. Obviously the materials must be inexpensive.

I have now devised a jacket which can be made in any desired size and which is so constructed as to meet all of the above noted essential requirements. Said jacket also possesses the cardinal requisite of inexpensiveness since it is formed of cheap materials and by a simple process. Such a jacket is illustrated in the accompanying draw- 89 ings inwhich Fig. l is a front elevation of the jacket as it would appear when applied to a user.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the jacket when opened out.

Fig. 3 illustrates a section taken on line 33 of Fig. 1

Fig. 4 shows a section taken on line 44 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 5 and 6 disclose sectional details of modified forms of the invention and Figs. 7 and 8 are views similar to Fig. 2 of other constructional embodiments of the invention.

On the drawings:

Reference numeral 1 indicates the jacket which comprises a front flap la having an integral lateral extension ,2 forming the back'flap of the jacket. The front and rear flaps 1a and 2 are permanently connected at the top thereof by means of a shoulder strap 3. This strap is formed by stitching together extensions 4 at the top of each of the flaps as shown in Figs. 3, 7 and 8 of the drawings. Said shoulder strap 3 cooperates with cut out portions 3a and 3b in the flaps 1a and 2 to define one armhole 5 of the jacket. The top of the flaps 1a and 2 is provided at the sides oppwite the above shoulder strap 3 with square-cut portions 6 adapted to cooperate with each other when the jacket is applied to a wearer to form the other shoulder 7 of the jacket. The free side edges 8 of the flaps 1a and 2 abut along one side of the wearer when the jacket is folded about the wearer. Said edges have adjacent the top thereof cut out portions 9 adaptedto coact with each other when the jacket is thus folded to provide the other armhole 10 of the jacket. Both the square portions 6 and the free lateral edges 8 of the flaps 1a and 2 are provided with lacings 11 in order to detachably secure the jacket on the wearer. The jacket accommodates the neck of the wearer in an opening 12 formed by cut out portions 13 at the top of each of the flaps 1a and 2, which cut out portions are mutually cooperative to produce said opening when the jacket is in folded position.

The flaps of the jacket are formed from a plurality of plies 14 and 15 of some light cheap fabric such as gauze or cheesecloth having a lining l6 therebetween. Said lining preferably comprises some material having a rather low heat conductivity and at the same time the property of readily absorbing fluids. I find that cotton or some similar padding material is eminently suitable for use in this relationship.

The various plies 14 and 15 of the jacket and the lining 16 are maintained in proper relation to each other by means of stitching 17 which is applied along the side and top edges of the flaps 1a and 2 and also diagonally through the body portions of the fiaps. It is evident that as many lines of stitching may be employed as is necessary to secure the proper binding of the various plies disclosed.

Preferably in making up-the jacket, I form the inner and outer plies l4 and 15 of the flaps 1a and 2 of a single piece of material folded at the bottom 24 of the flaps and stitched together at the top of the flaps. The union of the plies at the top is preferably effected as shown in Fig. 4

by folding the free top edges 14a. and 15a of the plies inwardly upon the plies and threading the stitching through the reenforced edge so formed. This method of construction augments the strength of the jacket and greatly simplifies'the process of making up the jacket thereby obviously reducing the cost of manufacture.

While I have indicated above that I preferably form the flaps 1a and 2 of the jacket of inner and outer plies 14 and 15 of the same material with a wadding of cotton or the like therebetween, it is to be realized that the jacket does not necessarily have to be formed in this particular way. Fig. 5, for instance, discloses a modified garment construction which is suitable for the purpose intend- ,ed. In this construction the outermost ply 18 of the flaps 1a and 2 is formed of a light cheap fabric like gauze and the inner ply 18a of a heavier material having a very thick nap 19. In this modification the fiaps 1a and 2 are composed entirely of the two beforementioned plies of mate- 'rial as the heavy nap serves as a filling between the plies and obviates the necessity of using a lining or padding of a heat insulating and liquid absorbing medium. In this construction it is obvious that stitching will also be applied along the bottom edges of the flaps in order to secure the plies of the material together.

Fig. 6 discloses a further embodiment of the invention. According to this figure both the inner and outer plies 20 and 21 are formed of a rather heavy material having a thick nap 22,

' the nap here also taking the place of the padding or wadding of the jacket of Fig. 1.

A jacket constructed in the manner indicated above will have a length sufiici'ent to completely cover the chest organs of the wearer. Such a jacket would of course fit loosely about the body of a patient. There would therefore be a tendency for the jacket to become disarranged if the patient moved about to any extent. This objectionable tendency is overcome by including in the construction of the jacket a number of flexible stays 23 which serve to yieldingly grip the body of the patient and maintain the jacket in its proper position when once adjusted. These stays, as indicated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, are located at spaced intervals along the bottom edge 24 of the jacket. They are made of some very flexible material which may be either metal or whalebone. Preferably however, the stays are constructed from featherbone which has been pretreated in a process rendering the bone extremely flexible. The stitching 1'7 employed to hold the plies 14 and 15 and the lining 16 of the jacket together also serves to retain the stays 23 in place. It is advisable to locate one stay adjacent a side edge 8 of at least one of the flaps 1a or 2 in order to prevent the edges of the flaps from rolling up.

It will be noted from the drawings that the stays 23 disclosed therein are of a length materially less than the length of the jacket. This is not, however, a limiting feature since it is apparent that the stays may extend substantially the entire length of the jacket as disclosed for instance in Figs. 7 and 8. It will be noted that in the jackets of these figures the stays 23 are materially longer than the stays in the jacket of Figs. l-6. These longer stays will of course retain the jacket in adjusted position on the wearer more effectively than the shorter stays of Figs. 1 and 2. Said stays may be retained in place as in the device of Figs. 1 and 2 or by individual stitching 30 shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

It will also be appreciated from Figs. 7 and 8 that the stays 23 may be located at different points in the jacket, the length of the stays being varied to accommodate the stays in the positions selected. Thus in Fig. 7, four stays of substantially the same length are positioned one beneath each arm strap of flaps 1a and 2. In Fig. 8, on the other hand, two long and two relatively short stays are employed, the longer stays being disposed in the approximate mid-points of i the flaps 1a and 2, and the shorter stays beneath the arm hole 5 of the jacket and the cut out portion 9 of flap 2. Other dispositions of the ids ifs

stays may also be efiected without departing from the scope of my invention, it only being necessary that the stays perform their intended function and without inconveniencing or discommoding the jacket wearer.

The jackets of Figs. 7 and 8 have an additional structural feature not possessed by the jacket of Figs. 1-6 inclusive. It has been explained above that when the jacket of Figs. 1-6 inclusive is folded about the wearer, the free side edges 8 of the flaps 1a and 2 abut each other l lo outer side of and at the three angular points of the portion 39, which lacings are secured to the lacings 11a similarlydisposed on the inner face of the free side of flap 1a. This construction provides more adequate protection to the wearers side than does the device of Figs. 1-6 inclusive.

The structural embodiment of the invention disclosed in Fig. 8 constitutes a difierent form of overlap between the free sides of the flaps 1a and 2. In this modification the free side of flap la is formed with a projection 48 separated from the main body of flap 1a by a line of stitching 49. This projection is'adapted to overlap the free edge 8 of flap 2 when thejacket is on the wearer. The overlapping engagement between said projection 48 and edge 8 is maintained by lacings 11c applied to the inner side of projection 48, which lacings are adapted to be detachably secured to lacings 11d attached to the outer side of flap 2 adjacent its free edge 8.

It can readily be appreciated that jackets of the above description will be of great service in the treatment of various lung ailments in the manner stated above. Due to the manner of forming the body of the jackets it is possible to apply medicaments to the patient without disturbing the patient to any extent.

Thus the patient is first placed on the closed side of the jacket. The lacings along the free edges 8 of the flaps and the shoulder 6 are untied and the free sides of the flaps turned back giving the attendant free access to the patients chest for the purpose of applying the medicaments. When medication is complete, the jacket flaps are replaced against the chest of the patient and the lacings retied.

The soft fabric employed in the outer and inner plies of the jacket is of course inexpensive. Said material is also exceedingly soft so that the con- A sick room jacket comprising a front flap having a lateral integral extension forming a back flap, the free side edges of said flaps being adapted to meet along one side of the wearers body, a shoulder strap permanently uniting said flaps at the top thereof and cooperating with cut out portions in said flaps to form an armhole, square cut portions at the top of said flaps opposite said strap forming the other shoulder, the free side edges of said flaps having cut out portions adjacent said square cut portions and'co-' operating therewith when the jacket is applied, to form the other armhole, means for detachably securing said free side edges and said square cut portions together, said .flaps being formed of a 

